Mindgames
by TheNightshade43
Summary: Nightshade is now on Earth, fighting for the Decepticons. Unfortunatly for him his first mission takes a bad turn when he is captured by the Autobots along with the Seekers.


G1 Mindgames

Pg rated for mild violence and scary themes…and a lewd joke! XD

The harsh afternoon sun illuminated the rocky landscape, while steep jutting mountains casted deep shadows across the ground, as if trying to hide the fighting below.

Black, white and purple shimmered in the light as Skywarp tried to take off into the air. His escape, however, was cut short as two Autobots leapt high and caught him in mid-flight. Unable to carry their combined weight he plummeted to the ground, and cursed as he dragged the Autobots down with him. The three transformers crashed into the red coloured earth, dispelling dust into the air in a sickening thud. There was a moment of silence as the dust began to settle.

"Get off me! Get off me!" A muffled voice demanded as yellow limbs flailed underneath the others. A red and black Autobot rolled off his opponent, shaking his head as he came to his senses. He spotted the flailing arms of his comrade and chuckled to himself.

"Sunstreaker I thought you were the one who liked it on top…" he joked lewdly as he pulled the stunned Skywarp off his brother.

"Hey! That was uncalled for!" Sunstreaker yelled as he forced himself onto his feet. "And look at what you made me do Sideswipe!" He complained loudly as he looked down at the small scratches on his metallic body. "My new paint job is ruined!"

Sideswipe sighed to himself as he walked towards Skywarp, who was trying to scramble to his feet. He firmly pressed his foot into the Seeker's back, forcing him back onto the ground.

"And where do you think you're going?" Sideswipe asked casually, pressing his gun to the back of the Seeker's head. Wincing in pain, Skywarp decided to reply quietly,

"Ouch…"

* * * *

"Get the slag off me!" Thundercracker roared as he threw a black and white Autobot into the cliff face nearby. As Jazz came to he saw the blue and white Decepticon run around the corner. He blinked a few times, realising that he had landed upside down against the chalk-coloured rocks. He found it almost impossible to move.

"Touchy isn't he?" He asked no one in particular. As stars danced across his visor Jazz was content to watch them and wait for back up. He wasn't going anywhere.

* * * *

Thundercracker was in a relatively good mood. He had managed to avoid capture so far. Those flightless fools would have to try harder than that to get the best of him.

He paused, looking around the barren landscape for any sign of the Autobots. He wasn't about to take the chance of being ambushed in mid-take off. There wasn't an Autobot to be seen. Convinced he was alone; Thundercracker holstered his weapon and turned to fly into the air. Once in the sky he could get away safely. Up there no one could catch him off-guard-

"Halt!" Someone commanded nearby. He startled, trying to guess where the voice had come from.

'**Who could have snuck up on me like that?' **He thought to himself. **'None of the Autobots could move that quietly except'**- Sure enough, he saw Bumblebee to his right. He was standing on a large smooth boulder, his weapon aimed up at the Decepticon. Thundercracker slowly turned to face the small yellow Autobot, not wanting to get shot. Even though the tiny weapon couldn't possibly terminate Thundercracker, it could still cause some damage. Especially at this range. And he knew that just one shot would inevitably summon back up.

"You think you can take me on, pipsqueak?" He taunted, clearly not threatened by the smallest of the Autobots.

"I got this far didn't I?" The Autobot asked smugly, "And my name is Bumblebee. Not 'pipsqueak'." He added calmly, not at all fazed by his enemy's size.

Thundercracker took a step forward in irritation but quickly stopped. He had to do this properly. Bumblebee wasn't the type of Autobot to quake in fear. But Thundercracker was stronger. If he could get close enough-or better yet, arm his weapon, he could easily terminate the Autobot and retreat before back up arrived.

Bumblebee was about to speak when he spotted a giant rock hovering in the air. It edged its way closer to Thundercracker, who had swiftly armed his weapon at the distracted Autobot.

Normally Thundercracker would have wondered what the Autobot was looking at, but immediate victory pushed such concerns from his mind.

"Say goodbye…Autobot," Thundercracker sneered, not noticing the rock hover ominously in his direction. Sensing the game was up; Bumblebee lowered his weapon and said casually,

"Uh…goodbye." As the Decepticon prepared to fire the rock launched itself at him. Hearing the noise, Thundercracker turned just in time to see the rock before it slammed into his face. With an oomph he catapulted into the air, the impact causing the rock to shatter into smaller pieces. Bumblebee jumped off the boulder as the Seeker flew in his direction. Thundercracker landed on the boulder with a thud, instantly in stasis.

Soon after a blue and white Autobot materialised out of thin air, his shadow appearing just as suddenly below him.

"Thanks Mirage." Bumblebee sighed with relief, "I didn't know how much longer I could've held him on my own." He holstered his weapon as Mirage smirked slightly.

"Not a problem." He replied curtly, "And besides, I've always wanted to try that…" He added happily.

* * * *

Sometime later at the edge of the rocky desert, Autobot troops were gathered. All six of them surrounded the Seekers, who were silently fuming. Starscream was a little singed, his red, grey and white exterior taking on a blackish hue. He was the most recently captured Seeker, being foolish enough to rush at Ironhide. In reflex the veteran Autobot streamed flames from his hands, engulfing the Decepticon in a fiery inferno.

"What are we waiting for?" Mirage asked in a bored tone.

"Yeah…" Sunstreaker added in irritation, "We caught the jet-heads so let's go already!"

"Hold ya circuits!" Ironhide replied gruffly. "Prowl and Hound are bringin' in another prisoner. They'll be here in a moment."

"So who'd they catch?" Jazz asked casually, "Another Seeker?"

"What, a cone-head?" Sideswipe asked harshly, "Those cowards wouldn't dare show themselves around here."

"No," Ironhide replied, "Apparently it's a new Decepticon." He paused before adding in a sneer, "Prowl said he didn't even put up a fight."

For a moment it became very quiet, which was only interrupted by a gust of wind which blew dust across the dry earth. The sound of footsteps caused Ironhide to glance over. Prowl and Hound walked into view, with their prisoner between them.

"It's about time you showed up." Jazz said light-heartedly.

"Don't start." Prowl replied quietly, keeping the prisoner within his sights.

The Decepticon walked silently, his black and grey exterior refusing to absorb the light around him. A deep grey faceplate hid any hint of expression from his unreadable features. A deep green optic arced across his face, which flared slightly when he noticed the three Seekers.

Hound gestured for the Decepticon to join the other prisoners. With hesitation the Decepticon complied, glancing at Sunstreaker and Sideswipe as he passed them. The two brothers couldn't help but feel like the prisoner was studying them.

"Why'd you cuff him?" Sideswipe asked, noticing the Decepticon's bound hands.

"I thought Ironhide said he didn't fight back." Sunstreaker added.

"I'm not taking any chances," Prowl answered in annoyance, "We don't know what he is capable of yet."

Now standing next to the Seekers, the Decepticon clearly stood out from his comrades. He was at least a head shorter than Starscream and sleeker in design. Small wings splayed upside down across his back, yet he clearly wasn't a warrior. And the Seekers didn't seem too pleased at standing so close to him.

"Where did you find him?" Bumblebee asked, curious of the new Decepticon.

"We found him near a waterfall," Hound answered, "He didn't even look around until we spoke to him."

Prowl quickly made his way to Ironhide, barely keeping his optics off the prisoners.

"I couldn't get much out of him," Prowl said quietly, "he just stood there, as if he was waiting for us." Ironhide nodded slightly, taking what he said in consideration. If Prowl believed the Decepticon to be a threat, then Ironhide would pay attention. It never payed to ignore the advice of a tactician.

"Alright let's move out." Ironhide commanded, "Before the Decepticons decide to pay us another visit."

* * * *

It was getting dark, the Autobot headquarters growing dimmer by the moment. The normally orange-red glow of the walls were now deepening to a dull maroon. It was unusually quiet, as the majority of the Autobots were on their way back from their battle with the Decepticons. Because Optimus Prime was among the majority, Ironhide was in charge of the base, and the prisoners within it.

Prowl had advised the prisoners to be separated from one another, not wanting them to plan a possible escape. Immediately the 'new' Decepticon was taken to a small, secure room for questioning.

The transfer of the Decepticon was…to say the least…quiet. So quiet, in fact, that Jazz and Hound constantly made sure their prisoner hadn't vanished when they weren't looking. The Decepticon barely looked around him, as if uninterested in what was happening. This passive behaviour unsettled the Autobot escorts. Most of the time a quiet prisoner was up to something.

Hound was almost relieved when he was dismissed by Jazz and Prowl. For some reason, he had wished for the Decepticon to fight back, or to at least talk. He didn't once look back as he left the halls, not knowing why the Decepticon gave him the creeps.

* * * *

The Decepticon looked around the large room in mild interest. It was obviously not designed to hold a prisoner. It was formally a storage room, but had been modified to fulfil its new purpose. Cupboards were empty, tables were fastened. Even the chair he was tied to was reinforced. He couldn't help but admire the ingenuity of the Autobots. They were not used to the ways of war.

He saw the Autobot called Jazz sitting on a table facing him. The Autobot was beginning to relax now that the transfer was complete.

The other Autobot, Prowl, was pacing past the Decepticon, clearly trying to put him on edge. This Autobot was rather tightly wound, almost as if he was trying too hard. Prowl turned to face the Decepticon, who looked up at him in a dispassionate way. The interrogation was about to begin.

"What is your name?" Prowl asked, his voice containing the hint of authority.

"…Nightshade." The Decepticon answered simply, his deep robotic voice slightly startling the two Autobots. His voice had sounded so…bored.

"Why were you near our headquarters?" Prowl asked. There was a minute of silence.

"The Seekers were commanded to infiltrate the Ark while most of the Autobots were absent."

Prowl faltered. The Decepticon seemed to be telling the truth. At the very least he had expected a lie, or even the refusal to answer.

"And why were you commanded to do that?" He asked more casually. Prowl already knew the answer, but wanted to hear Nightshade's reply. He had to be sure.

"Teletraan One was to be destroyed." Nightshade replied. "Without its guidance the Decepticons would be able to harvest Energon more successfully." It made perfect sense to Prowl. More than once the Decepticons had tried to destroy the Autobot's A.I.

"So what was _your_ mission?" Jazz piped in, causing the other two to look at him. "I don't recall you telling us what you were meant to do."

Nightshade tilted his head in a rather curious manner.

"You are very observant." He answered in amusement. He seemed almost pleased at being caught out. He glanced back at Prowl, who waited for him to answer.

"I was assigned the task of gathering information."

"What _kind_ of information?" Prowl asked, now beginning to grow impatient. Nightshade sighed, growing annoyed at the Autobot.

"Plans." He answered softly. "Energy readings, security details. Anything classified."

Before Prowl could prod any further a knock echoed in the room. With a casual grace Jazz slid off the table and walked to the door. As Jazz answered Nightshade could see the white and red medic Ratchet, who was quietly talking to the saboteur. Ratchet noticed the Decepticon and smirked.

"I never thought _he_ would come here." He declared, studying Nightshade with a mixture of surprise and uneasiness.

"What, you know him?" Jazz asked, somewhat confused over the medic's reaction.

"I've heard _of_ him." Ratchet stated. "He's somewhat of a legend where I was stationed."

"Did he tell you what his function was?" Ratchet asked, pleased at knowing more than Prowl did, for once.

"Well?" Prowl hinted. Nightshade hesitated, reading their expressions.

"Interrogator." He answered slowly, his voice carrying a slightly sinister tone.

* * * *

It was late, the darkness being kept at bay by the harsh artificial light within the large room. Nightshade watched his guard in the corner of his optic, who was pacing around the room in boredom. It was most distracting…

"Am I to be terminated?" Nightshade asked absently. The Autobot halted and turned to face him, surprised by the abrupt question.

"Maybe…" He replied, pretending to sound at ease, "but from what we've heard about you I wouldn't keep my hopes up." Nightshade kept silent for a few moments. This Autobot, Bluestreak, seemed to see him as some kind of joke.

"You do not believe the rumours?"

Bluestreak chuckled in reply.

"I believe you are good at what you do." He answered. "You spread fear, and mess up whoever you get your grimy claws on." There was a pause.

"But?" Nightshade prodded.

"But I don't believe you have any 'magic powers'." Bluestreak replied, his voice harsh and sceptical.

'**Magic powers'** Nightshade thought to himself in amusement. **'What an odd phrase.'**

He couldn't help but feel disappointed. A warrior like Bluestreak could easily believe in an Afterlife, yet had difficulty in accepting extrasensory powers as fact.

"Magic is merely a symbol for the unexplained." Nightshade reasoned. "Which, in a sense, makes it true." The Autobot scoffed and shook his head in disbelief.

"Primus you're nuts."

Nightshade let the comment slide without reacting. Something else caught his attention. He let his psychic abilities activate without caution. Almost instantly Nightshade could tell _something_ had happened in the Ark. He could Sense a variety of emotions, none of which were his own. There was confusion. And dread. The feeling of relief and glee soon followed. For a fleeting moment he could even Sense a moment of pain, which dissipated into nothingness.

Nightshade winced as he began to regain control of his abilities. That pain had almost shocked his systems into deactivation, his mind almost fooled into thinking it was real.

Almost immediately he trained his thoughts towards the guard. Now was the time to break free. With his psychic abilities activated Nightshade could see into his captor's mind. Bluestreak was loyal. And strong. And confident. Traits of a typical warrior.

'**Hardly a unique mind.'** Nightshade thought in distaste. He could have easily willed Bluestreak to release him, without the Autobot realising what had happened before it was too late. But Nightshade neither had the time nor the intention to try it. Instead Nightshade made Bluestreak aware of his psychic presence.

Instinctively Bluestreak armed his weapon, something telling him that he was under attack. He swiftly scanned the room, unable to pin point the unknown attacker. He was alone, save for the tightly bound Decepticon. As he rested his gaze on the prisoner, the feeling of being attacked began to fade.

'**What **_**was**_** that?'** Bluestreak thought to himself, confused at what had just happened.

'**DO YOU BELIEVE THE RUMOURS NOW?'** A voice demanded, causing the Autobot to jump slightly. He looked around the room, trying to locate where the voice had come from. There was no one else. The table next to him began to rattle softly, alarming him slightly. Curiously Bluestreak placed his hand on the table to steady it. After a few seconds the table settled, bringing with it a calming silence. Bluestreak sighed quietly, feeling the unknown presence fade from his awareness. He casually turned to face the prisoner, glad that now the situation was taken care of. Instead he saw an empty chair with untied restraints. Immediately he raised his weapon.

"How did he do that?" Bluestreak asked himself, trying to locate the elusive Decepticon. It didn't make any sense. Why hadn't he heard the Decepticon move? He bolted towards the door, hoping he could catch up to Nightshade before he escaped. Or at least put the base on alert before he got too far. A low pitched mechanical sigh caused the Autobot to halt. To his left, no more than a few feet away, Nightshade appeared. Almost immediately Bluestreak reacted, instinctively throwing away his own weapon and aiming a powerful punch at him. Nightshade drew back faintly but then halted, his optic dimming slightly. Bluestreak's fist suddenly stopped within a few inches of impact, an invisible force holding it in place. For a while the Autobot was stunned, sensing a build up of an unseen power. The unseen power ripped at Bluestreak, both pulling and pushing him away from the enemy. He felt the wall collide with him in a massive jolt. For a moment he saw the air around Nightshade distort and waver. Then shock took over, forcing the Autobot to deactivate.

* * * *

Surprisingly, the hallways were empty. Remaining close to the walls, Nightshade tried to remember the Ark's layout. He knew he was deep inside, but fortunately he was in one of the larger hallways. If he remained in these main corridors he could eventually navigate his way to freedom, but it would also mean that he had a higher chance of being detected by the Autobots. The deafening wail of the alarm startled Nightshade, causing him to halt just around the corner. He waited while Teletraan One continued to broadcast a warning, making up his mind.

After a few moments he ran off, now making his way to Teletraan One. Despite his situation Nightshade knew he had to complete the mission. This might be the only chance he would get. At least with minimal resistance involved.

He activated one of his hand canons in case of a possible ambush. With all the chaos around him Nightshade couldn't accurately Sense the enemy, especially with the constant wail of the alarm. He was relieved that his internal weapons hadn't been detected. Not many knew he could convert his hands into canon-guns, the only reason why he still had them.

Nightshade halted when an explosion interrupted the alarm, the walls trembling all around him. The wail then distorted and faded into silence, assuring him that the A.I had been put out of commission.

It was a mixed blessing for the Decepticon. While one objective had been achieved another had been compromised. Nightshade would now have to gather data from a different source entirely.

Almost immediately he could Sense another presence nearby. It was definitely an Autobot. Without hesitation he began to follow it, knowing that this particular individual had what he was searching for.

Nightshade stopped at a large doorway and scanned the room uneasily. He had managed to find the infamous workshop of Wheeljack. Tables were literally covered in every tool known to Cybertron. And then some. The room was darker than the halls, bringing with it a hint of danger. In here, hiding places were plentiful.

He slowly stepped into the room, on the look-out for hidden enemies. Amongst the half built contraptions Nightshade spotted his weapon, which resembled a futuristic grenade. It was a proto-type he had been working on, being designed to disable the enemy.

Now barely ten feet away from the grenade he heard a rustle of metal. A red and white Transformer showed himself, less than five feet away from him. Despite his abilities Nightshade was caught off-guard.

"Don't even think about it." The Autobot warned, keeping his weapon aimed squarely at the Decepticon. Nightshade knew fighting would be futile. This particular Autobot was highly alert, and any sudden movement would almost certainly lead to termination. Instead, Nightshade deactivated his hand canon, which merged into his systems once again.

"I knew something like this would happen." The Autobot added. "But nobody ever listens to me…"

Nightshade said nothing, trying to work out a way to disarm the Autobot with minimal damage.

"And don't even try your telekinesis on me!" The Autobot warned quickly, "I saw what happened to Bluestreak." Nightshade studied him in silence.

How did he know about his abilities? The Autobot was telling the truth, that much he knew. Then it struck him. The interrogation room had a security camera installed in it. Obviously the Autobot had seen him through the A.I's monitor before it had been destroyed.

Nightshade Sensed the Autobot's uncertainty, which seemed to grow with each passing second. He began to read the Autobot's mind, but recoiled almost instantly. This Autobot was paranoid. With such a sensitive mind Nightshade didn't want to risk setting him off unintentionally. He had heard of this particular Autobot before.

He was Red Alert, the security director of the Autobot faction. He was said to be so edgy that he was almost never distracted from duty. Speaking of which…

Nightshade heard loud, plodding footsteps to his left and glanced over absently. He had long ago Sensed who it was but searched for him anyway. Sure enough, Grimlock, leader of the Dinobots, shambled into view. He was in his dinosaur form, swinging his enormous tail from side to side as he moved. Grimlock stood to a halt close to Nightshade and Red Alert, almost as if noticing them for the first time. He looked from Red Alert to Nightshade, moving his massive broad head as he did so. A few seconds later he turned to face the Decepticon and growled.

"Me Grimlock destroy funny looking jet!" He declared fiercely. Nightshade saw orange-yellow light up within the Dinobot's throat, and prepared himself for flight. He wasn't willing to try and block such a powerful attack. Not at this range.

"Wait!" Red Alert ordered. "You'll destroy us all if you breathe fire here!" He added quickly, almost panicking at this point. Nightshade quickly glanced around and realised what he meant. Not even five feet away from him were large, metal cylinders, which were tightly tied together.

These particular cylinders were marked with small brightly coloured warnings. If they ignited the entire room would disintegrate, destroying any occupants within it.

After a few tense moments Grimlock seemed to realise that breathing fire at gas filled cylinders was not such a good idea after all. Feigning a bored expression the Dinobot yawned, the light within him dimming as he did so.

"You not worth effort." He declared while looking down at the Decepticon. Nightshade looked up at Grimlock and said nothing, keeping his hands where the Dinobot could see them. He didn't need to be told to stay still. Between the two Autobots there was no chance for the Decepticon to escape. Already bored of the whole situation Grimlock huffed and began to investigate the workshop.

Red Alert sighed to himself, annoyed at the Dinobot's arrogance. But he was glad of the extra muscle. With him around Nightshade would less likely try anything.

As Red Alert tried to call for backup Nightshade watched Grimlock from the corner of his optic. Every now and then he would lift his grey coloured head to watch the Decepticon, then lower it again to resume his mysterious search. With a numbing realisation Nightshade knew what he searching for.

"Ah, there it is!" Grimlock declared, eyeing Nightshade's proto-type grenade. With nimble clawed hands he lifted the circular object to inspect it. Red Alert turned off his com-link to see what the fuss was about. He immediately regretted it.

"Grimlock! Put that down right now!" Red Alert demanded, not liking where this situation was going.

"Why?" He asked, "We should destroy puny weapon!" He turned the grenade around in his hands a few times before adding, "It broken, see!"

He showed the security director what he meant. It was a perfect circle; the only thing disrupting its smooth dark grey surface was a tiny hole in the top. Red Alert was baffled by the device; it was unlike anything he had seen before. But he couldn't risk trying to take it off the Dinobot. He had no idea what would cause the device to detonate.

Nightshade read the Dinobot's mind and Saw what he was planning to do with the grenade.

"I would advise against that course of action…" He warned lightly, knowing what he said wouldn't make any difference. He almost felt sorry for Red Alert. He was standing less than five feet away from the grenade. And Nightshade knew that Grimlock was too proud to change his mind.

Before anyone could react, the Dinobot put the grenade into his mouth and started to chew. Red Alert tried to flee, knowing there was no way he could get away in time. Nightshade hovered back two feet just as the small hole in the grenade blinked deep red. The grenade, ironically, was pressure-activated, but it wasn't designed to explode.

Instead, a wave of red static pulsed from the grenade, forcing its way through every machine in the entire workshop. For some time, everything shut down, the lights flickering off throughout the workshop. Then, the lights flickered back on, illuminating the workshop much more brightly than before.

Nightshade's optic dimmed slightly before brightening, adjusting to the sudden light. To his surprise he was still hovering a few feet from the ground. As far as he could tell none of his systems were damaged. He landed softly on the orange-red floor, looking around the room as he did so. Soon enough he spotted Grimlock, who stood offline.

"This should be interesting." Nightshade mused, waiting to see if his proto-type was a success. With a start Grimlock reactivated, looking around in confusion. He looked towards the doorway and stopped. With a frenzied roar he ran through the door, chasing thin air. As he passed through the halls Nightshade caught glimpses of what he was chasing. The closest thing it resembled was a monster of claws and teeth.

"That was unexpected." Nightshade observed, a little confused at what had just happened. The grenade was designed to overload the reality core, almost literally causing your worst fears to materialise in front of you. But it was also designed to eliminate aggressive behaviour, making it an effective tool in the battlefield. Obviously Nightshade had to work on it some more before his prized invention was a success.

A momentary flash of red and white removed such concerns from Nightshade's mind. He still had a mission to accomplish. Red Alert was in a state of panic, madly dashing through the halls as if he knew Nightshade was on his trail. As they both ran deeper into the base Nightshade could see the walls drip around him as though they were melting. The grenade's effects were starting to affect him as well.

He paused as Red Alert suddenly darted to his right, mumbling incoherently as he did so. Nightshade knew the Autobot was real, he could Sense it.

Nightshade took off into the air to catch up, dodging the various metallic arms that were clawing at him. Colourless torsos and heads followed those arms, moaning and reaching for him as paint dripped off them. There were no optics, giant black holes staring at Nightshade instead.

Every now and then a few of them managed to latch onto the Decepticon, trying to rip him open. He shrugged them off, only focusing on his target. Soon enough Red Alert headed through an exit, which seemed to get smaller by the astro-second. At the very edge deep grey claws grabbed Nightshade and held him into place. Fake voices called out to him, but he didn't care. They were in his way. With one powerful psychic pulse, Nightshade ripped the entrance apart, shredding the claws to pieces. With one final burst of speed he escaped the base and flew blindly into the sky.

* * * *

It was night time, the enormous full moon shining down on him in an eerie silvery glow. The land below him was very dark, immense trees twisting towards the sky with brittle branches. Nightshade flew down until he could see through the canopy, searching for the Autobot with his night vision.

He had to be careful now that he could see in the dark. If he looked up now the moon could temporarily blind him, and cause him to lose his target.

He glanced to his left, and saw another hallucination. It was a small Decepticon, around two thirds of Nightshade's height. From the look of its broken shell it had fought in more than enough battles. It was a shocking mixture of dark yellow, purple and bright white, with a deep purple face mask and crazed yellow optics.

"You are terminated, Phobos." Nightshade told it, keeping his optic on the forest below him.

"And yet you see me little brother," the hallucination replied cheerfully, "and you talk to me too!" Nightshade ignored it, not liking that he could see one of his former comrades flying beside him.

"And who are you hunting now?" Phobos asked, madness creeping into his voice.

"An Autobot…" He answered uneasily.

"They killed me you know…"

"You ended your own life." Nightshade corrected.

There was an awkward silence.

"But not before you gave me a parting gift…" Nightshade added, remembering how Phobos had sent him on a frenzied killing spree. That particular Madness had lasted for months.

"It was for the good of the mission." Phobos argued. "The Autobots had to be destroyed, so I blew up their precious Generator."

He looked around, forgetting what he had just said.

'**Just like Phobos used to do.' **Nightshade thought to himself, now amused by his hallucination.

Phobos saw the moon and howled eagerly, letting himself go into a frenzy. Then Nightshade saw his target. Red Alert was running, shooting wildly into the air around him. A few stray shots had managed to pierce Nightshade, causing him to grunt in pain.

"We're gonna get you…" Phobos said eagerly, and laughed as he swooped down towards the panicked Autobot. Nightshade took his time, lowering himself down to the forest floor. Red Alert had stopped, covering his head in his hands. Nightshade patiently snuck closer to him. The rustle of leaves under him alerted the Autobot, who wildly looked around for the enemy.

Nightshade armed his hand canon and aimed. And waited. The demented form of Phobos rushed at Red Alert, who in pure coincidence turned to shoot in his direction. Nightshade didn't hesitate. He fired twice, deep green lasers striking the red and white back of Red Alert.

The effects of the Null Rays were almost instant, the Autobot going off-line as he landed on the forest floor. Leaves spiralled into the air as Nightshade moved in, ignoring the various whispers that were calling out to him.

He quickly went to work, retrieving any relevant data from Red Alert's systems. There was more information than expected, but he went through it regardless. When he was finished he left the Autobot alone, his hunt-induced madness fading into a feeling of uneasiness. Unlike the other Decepticons he did not relish in mindless slaughter. Though later he knew he would regret not modifying his temporary prisoner, but at the moment he wasn't in the mood.

As he walked through the forest more hallucinations were trying to attack him. They harassed him, chased him with burning optics which remained in the shadows. He was growing more and more convinced that someone was after him. He cleared the forest and paused, aiming his hand-canons at a massive form to his left. The voices and optics faded as he calmed, recognising the tall broad form of Soundwave who stood passively as Nightshade slowly lowered his arms.

"Objective achieved." He stated calmly. He deactivated his weapons as he added casually, "I believe the Seekers escaped without difficulty."

It wasn't a question. Without saying so Nightshade acknowledged Soundwave's role in their escape. Soundwave remained unreadable.

"ARE YOU DAMAGED?" The cassette master asked, noting Nightshade's unstable demeanour.

"Damage is superficial," he answered quickly, "nothing permanent."

Soundwave seemed to study him for a few seconds. Then he turned away from Nightshade, keeping whatever he had learned to himself. Without uttering another word he flew off, leaving Nightshade at the edge of the forest.

Nightshade wasn't looking forward to returning to the Decepticon headquarters. He would have to surrender his cache of information, and then he would be ordered to visit a medic. He didn't trust the medics, who probably wouldn't hesitate in terminating him if he was deemed a threat to the Decepticons.

But that couldn't be helped. There was no alternative. He would never join forces with the Autobots. They were too trusting towards the Humans. And if the Humans got access to Cybertronian technology, it would be a matter of time before they would focus their aggressive nature on all Transformers.

Nightshade glanced around momentarily before he flew towards the Decepticon headquarters, watching his former comrade weave around him in chaotic glee.

The End


End file.
